You may have walked into the theater wearing clearance sandals and a Target handbag, but you leave feeling like one of Carrie’s friends.

Carrie Bradshaw and her three stooges are back in town for their second time on the sparkling silver screen. Michael Patrick King dressed the gals to impress in this new piece of the popular franchise. Some viewers may take the posh New Yorkers as anti-feminists in disguise, but they reclaim the female voice in a film that provides an ultimate escape.

It has been two years since Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Big (Chris Noth) had their dramatic wedding fiasco. They are still trying to find a happy medium between being an NYC glamour couple and couch potato fogies. Marriage has its own rewards for all of the ladies in Carrie’s life, and she documents the post-“I-Do” struggles in a new book. Charlotte (Kristin Davis), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) are also reaching new phases in their lives. Motherhood and menopause can be tough for the city dwellers. Thanks to Samantha’s high-class connections, they are able to run away for some free rest and relaxation at an Abu Dhabi resort in the United Arab Emirates. As age and surprises catch up with them, the women are still able to have a great time and look fabulous.

The Sex and the City clan seems like a group of educated, independent women. Yet they are extremely focused on outer beauty, praise superficial clothing labels, take back cheating partners and have slept with countless men. They aren’t technically the definition of strong women. After some flack, it appears that Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte overtly want to reclaim the female voice. They even use karaoke tactics to blast the feminist anthem “I am Woman.” Not many all-female groups are able to peacefully unite like the girls from Sex and the City. Watch The View and you will understand. Carrie and her friends have their tiffs, but can always come together as powerful women in a world that still has obstacles for sassy, professional ladies.

Watching these women wear lavish clothes and prance around New York City without a budget is a form of escapism. Film offers that glorious experience. In this installment, they spend most of their time in Abu Dhabi. Half of the time it looks like a surreal perfume commercial. Their wardrobe budget could have probably sent everyone in New York on an Abu Dhabi vacation. This beautiful destination in Sex and the City 2 will surely pique travel interests.

You may have walked into the theater wearing clearance sandals and a Target handbag, but you leave feeling like one of Carrie’s friends. Michael Patrick King empowers the characters and audience by embracing womanhood and the magic of escapism. | Alice Telios